


Are you sure?

by crazyfangirl_27



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2020-11-27 02:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20940683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyfangirl_27/pseuds/crazyfangirl_27
Summary: “So, you guys are going to Atlanta to get your shitty best friend back, and then you're going to the cursed town of Derry?” Emma said, winning a smack in the arm from her brother. “Hey, I’m just saying what dad said!”Six years after leaving his hometown for good, comedian Richie Tozier met someone at a bar. Sixteen years later, he finds out why he always looked so familiar.EDIT: I'm editing the first six chapters before I keep posting.





	1. Chapter 1

“I’m ten minutes away, stop fucking complaining”

There was a sigh on the other side of the line.  _ “The doors are closing in exactly ten minutes. I cannot make exceptions, even to cute, short hypochondriacs” _ Richie said, and Eddie rolled his eyes. “I’ve told you a thousand times that 5”9 it’s an average height dipshit” he started, before being interrupted. “I have someone else calling, I’ll see you at the venue. Good luck babe”

When Richie hung up the phone, Eddie looked down to see who was on the phone and for some reason, the moment that he read the words, Derry, Maine on top of the unknown number, he felt his heart in his throat and started sweating. 

_ ‘Fear’  _

“Um, hello? Who is this?” he said with a shaky voice. 

_ “Eddie Kaspbrak?”  _ A male voice asked. 

“Yes, who is this?”

_ ‘“It’s me, Mike”  _

“Mike who?” Eddie asked, the road in front of him long forgotten as he stared at the tiny screen. But he knew. Deep down he felt a sense of recognition that overwhelmed him completely.

And he suddenly remembered a lot of stuff he didn’t know he had forgotten. 

And he crashed his car. 

_ “Eddie? Eddie”  _ The man exclaimed.  _ “Are you ok man?” _

He wasn’t.

“YEAH, I’M PRETTY GOOD!”

_ ‘Don’t be an asshole to Mike!”  _ A voice in his head said.  _ ‘Come on Eddie! Don’t you see he’s just trying to help? We’re all trying to help’ _

“Fuck! What is wrong with you asshole?” he screamed at the other car, fully knowing it was his fault. 

_ “What happened Eddie? You sure you’re ok?” _

“Yeah, I just fucking crashed my car” he muttered as he drove to park next to the sidewalk. “I’m sorry, but I just remembered eighteen years of my fucking life that I forgot for some reason.”

_ “Eddie, what do you remember?” _

“I remember Derry,” he said. “God, I haven’t thought about it in years.” 

Mike sighed on the other side of the line. It was a tired, defeated sigh that made Eddie concerned.  _ “Yeah, I know. The others are the same.”  _

“The others?” Eddie asked. “Oh yeah! We were a group, weren’t we? I remember their names started with a b?” 

_ “Yes! Bill, Bev, and Ben. I called them before you”  _ Mike said, sounding excited.  _ “Do you remember Stan? You know, Stan the man. And Richie! Richie Trashmouth Tozier” _

_ ‘Richie’ _

“Holy shit,” he said as memories flooded his brain. Being in the hammock with Richie, the ‘I fucked your mom’ jokes, the silly nicknames he would secretly love, being in love with his best friend. 

_ “You guys were always so close” _ he heard Mike say “ _ Anyways, I was calling because I needed to tell you something important.” _

He made a dramatic pause, one that made Eddie even more nervous than he already was.”What is it Mike?” he muttered, his voice shaking. 

_ “You need to come back.” _

His first thought came in the voice of his husband.  _ ‘Fuck no! No fucking way’  _ Richie said in his mind. Then there was another voice, one that he hadn’t heard in yeats, and one that shook him to his very core. 

_ ‘Where do you think you’re going Eddie bear? There’s no way I’m letting you put yourself in danger.” _

He really went and forgot about his mother, didn’t he?

_ “We made an oath Eddie. You need to come back”  _ Mike said, sounding desperate. _ “All of you need to come back! Bev, Bill, and Ben already agreed to come, don’t worry. I just need to call Stan and Rich next-” _

“Don’t!” Eddie shouted without thinking. “Don’t call him yet”

_ “Which one?” _

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Now he had to come up with an excuse. “I mean both, um” he tried to think. “They hated Derry the most. I don’t think it will be easy to get them to go. I’m in New York, and I think that Richie has a show here. I’ll talk to him, and he’s fucking loaded so we can go talk to Stan too.”

_ “That’s great! Thank you Eddie”  _ Mike replied.  _ “And Eddie, I’ve missed you man” _

His tone makes him smile. “Me too man. See you soon”

  
' _ See you soon’ _


	2. Chapter 2

“Holy-”

Eddie was glad that his husband was close to a garbage can. “That’s what I said!” he exclaimed to alleviate the mood. Richie chuckled. “How do you feel Rich?

“I” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I forgot about you. I was in love with you, so fucking whipped,” he said, and it almost made Eddie kiss him had he not thrown up mere seconds ago. “And the others! Stan, Mike, Bev, and Ben. We almost met Bill that one time, remember? When you wanted us to stay and meet the cast of that one show?” he chuckled as he grabbed a water bottle next to him. “Damn, this is fucking insane”

“I think we should go”

Richie looked at Eddie stunned by his words. “You, you want us to go? Back to Derry?”

“Yes, I do. We have not seen those guys for over twenty years!”

“Then let’s fucking invite them to visits us here! I don’t understand why any of us would want to go back to fucking Derry” he stood up and paced around the room. “That place is a fucking piece of shit and it’s too fucking dangerous to take the twins”

“Then let’s not take the twins! We can ask An to keep an eye on them, you know she loves them like they’re her kids.” Eddie said, walking towards Richie to calm him down. “We can leave the moment one of us feels unsafe, but lets at least go and say hello”

The comedian sighed. “Fine. I only agree because I know you ran every possible scenario through your little computer brain” he said. “Now let’s go home so that we can spend some time with the kids and I don’t leave with dread”

Before going home, they picked up Emma from a friend’s house. Her name was Maya, and they had been best friends since Kindergarten, but lately, they had noticed something weird in their interactions. Their daughter had been more nervous than usual, but strictly on the subject of seeing and interacting with Maya. It wasn’t until they saw them hanging out on their backyard, laying on the hammock that for some reason they felt the need to install, that they saw the way Emma was looking at her best friend. 

It was the same way that they looked at each other, An had said. And now, Richie remembered that he had always looked at Eddie that way.

“Hi! How was your show, dad?” she said, a wide smile on her face as she got into the car.

“Great as always kiddo” Richie replied. “Don’t you remember that your dad is the best fucking comedian in the city?”

“Richie” Eddie muttered as he pulled back on the street. They had had a talk about cursing in front of the kids, but it seemed as his husband was not present during the conversation. 

“Last time I checked John Mulaney lives in the city,” Emma said, her smile turning into a shit-eating grin. Richie gasped dramatically, and Eddie repressed a laugh. “You know what? That was a fucking good burn, I’m so proud of you Ems” 

Eddie has to bite his tongue at the impulse of saying ‘That’s not her name’ because it is, for her. She loves that cute nickname Richie calls her. 

The rest of the car ride was spent by Emma telling them about her day, giving general details about the time she spent with Maya. The couple had agreed not to push her, but Eddie always wanted to know if his kids were alright. 

“Darling, are you and Maya going to homecoming?” he asked as he clicked the control to open the garage door. He saw in the rearview mirror her eyes widen. “If you’re not, that’s fine. It’s just your aunt Andromeda wanted to take you both to shop for dresses if you were”

“I haven’t thought about it. We got asked by two guys, but we’re not interested, to be honest” she replied, grabbing her backpack from the floor. “We’re probably just going to stay home and watch our collection of eighties movies.”

“You could go together” Richie blurted out, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his temple.

_ “So we’re the only ones that didn’t get dates, huh?” Eddie said, suddenly putting down his comic.  _

_ “I did, but I thought it would be shitty if your mom went to the dance and you didn’t” Richie replied, earning a smack on the face, courtesy of Eddie’s foot. _

_ “I’m being serious, dipshit. Everyone’s got a date! Bill got to ask someone without fucking stuttering, Mike and Ben both got the balls to ask girls that said yes, one of which is Beverly, and don’t even get me started on the fact that Stan the little shit got fucking asked by like ten girls just because he’s in the baseball team now.” he said. “Now my mom’s going to make me sit on the couch with her and watch her stupid soap operas” _

_ Richie looked at him, his eyes wider behind his glasses, and gulped. “We could, um” he hesitated. “We could go together? As friends! Of course, if you want” _

_ Eddie felt the heat rise to his cheeks. “Um, sure. We can go as friends” _

_ “Cool! I’ll pick you up tomorrow Spaguetti!” Richie exclaimed with a mocking tone and immediately lifted the comic book back up to cover the big smile on his face.  _

When he came back to, Eddie was rubbing circles on his back and calling his name. Meanwhile, Emma and Finn were coming out of the house with a glass of water, a trashcan and what he assumed was migraine medicine. He immediately grabbed the trash can and threw up in it, feeling the concerned looks of his family on him.

“Richie, are you ok?” his husband asked softly, and he simply nodded. “Of course Eds. I just, I think I just got a memory back”

“A memory? But that doesn’t make sense! Doctor Baker said that the trauma was too strong for you to get any memories back!” Finn exclaimed, and the tall man could see his son breathing heavily. “I’m fine Finn, everything’s fine. Let’s just remember to breath, ok? Make sure the air reaches your lungs. Let’s all go inside”

As they all got into the house, Richie went straight to brush his teeth, and he heard Eddie make a call, probably to Andromeda to ask her to watch the twins. Even if they were sixteen, everyone felt better if there was at least one adult present just in case anything happened. 

When he went to the living room, Emma and Finn were sitting on the couch and Eddie was finishing up his phone call. “Thank you so much An! We’ll see you tomorrow” he said before putting the phone down. “She said yes, I’ll go get us flights to Atlanta,” Eddie said, absentmindedly. The comedian looked at him with surprise. “Why the fuck are we going to Atlanta?”

Eddie’s breath hitched. “I may have promised Mike that we were going to get Stan,” he said, reluctantly. 

“Why did you promise Mike that we were going to go get Stan?”

“Because when he called me he said that he only needed to call him and you, and I immediately said ‘don’t call him’ but when he asked who I was referring I said both. I made an excuse and said that both of you hated Derry the most and that you were going to need some convincing” the shorter man replied. “And you know what? I’m fucking right! So we’re going to fucking Atlanta, we’re going to get your shitty best friend back, and then we’re going to the cursed town of Derry, am I clear?”

Richie nodded, surprised at the sudden change in his husband's behavior. Eddie just huffed and went to their room, leaving the tall man to deal with whatever their children were thinking about.

“So, you guys are going to Atlanta to get your shitty best friend back, and then you're going to the cursed town of Derry?” Emma said, winning a smack in the arm from her brother. “Hey, I’m just saying what dad said!” 

“Yeah, we are,” Richie said, walking to and sitting on the couch next to them. “Your other dad got a call from a friend back where he- I mean,  _ we  _ grew up” 

“Wait, what? You grew up together?” 

“Look, the call sort of activated a switch in our brains and we’ve been getting some memories from our godforsaken childhoods, and now I remember that it was pretty shitty. But I still don’t have all the answers. Neither of us does, so we’re going to our hometown and reconnect with our old friends, who apparently are as fucked up as we are”

The teens kept silence, looking at their father with concern. “Do you think this is a good idea? I mean, you said your childhood was pretty shitty” Emma asked, seconded with a nod from her brother. “You’re getting your memories back, and that’s great! But you just got one and had to throw up in a trashcan, so maybe you should take this a bit easy by, you know, not going to the city you grew up in which counts with a bunch of triggers?” Finn added.

Richie sighed. “Look, I’m not crazy about this either, But your dad thinks it will be good for us, and we made a promise to leave if we felt unsafe.” he walked towards his kids, sitting right in the middle. “Believe it or not, I’m pretty tough. And I promise to bring us back in one piece” he said, wrapping an arm around each of them. They returned the hug, and the three just stayed there, enjoying each other’s company.

“Aw!” 

“Goddammit, Eddie! You just ruined the fucking mood”

“Richie! What fucking part don’t you get about not cursing in front of the kids!”


	3. Chapter 3

“So remember that both of them have at least two inhalers at all times, as well as their first-aid kit. And-”

“Eddie! Have you forgotten that I’ve been helping out with the kids for the past ten years? I know that speech by heart. Now get on moving or you’re going to miss your flight to Atlanta.”

“Yeah babe, let’s go. Or do you want to be there three hours earlier instead of four?” Richie said, teasingly. “Ow, I was joking! You’re too strong for being so short!”

“For the millionth time Richie, 5”9 IS A PERFECTLY NORMAL-” he started, his blood boiling as he prepared to have an argument with Richie. 

"Bye guys!"

_ ‘SLAM’ _

Richie sighed and had to repress a chuckle at his husband’s face of shock. “Let’s just go, you can scream at me while we wait for our flight.”

Once they checked their bags and went through the security clearance, they went to first-class lounge and Eddie continued to scream at Richie. As always, the taller man just took it, smiling at his husband. “Are you done? I’m going to get something to eat” he said, checking he had his wallet in his pocket. 

“Bring me a sandwich, ok? And please wash your hands before touching the plate. Airports are disgusting” Eddie replied, smiling once he was out of Richie’s sight.

An hour passed between them eating their food, and being called to board. They had these unspoken rules of not bickering while they ate, having been too close to cause an incident before. So they talked about one of the few things both of them like talking about:

How much they loved their kids.

It was Andromeda who introduced them to the idea of being adoptive parents. They had been together for five years and had talked about having children, though nothing had materialized. By then Richie was planning to leave SNL, knowing a steady career would follow thanks to Eddie, who had been working as a risk analyst for three years. 

_ “So, you guys know how I volunteer at some of the local orphanages?” she had said during a dinner she had invited them to. “We’ve been having a lack of people that want to be adoptive parents. Do you know anyone that would be interested? They would have to go through a background check and a training course.” _

_ “We could do it!” Eddie exclaimed before Richie could even react.  _

_ “What? What are you talking about? There’s no way in hell we could do it”  _

_ “Who says we can’t? We’re more responsible and mature than you think”  _

_ “We don’t remember a single fucking thing of our childhood, Eds! How the fuck do you want us to raise children if we don’t know how our parents raised us?” Richie said, serious like Eddie had seen him very few times. _

_ “I’m going to leave you the pamphlet, just in case you, or anyone is interested. It’s a big responsibility, but don’t be worried, I know you guys would be great parents” Andromeda had said, closing the conversation and starting another one.  _

_ It was until weeks later when Eddie found Richie in the living room with the pamphlet on one hand, and a notebook and pen in the other, that he realized that maybe they could give this thing a try. _

_ After months of extensive background checks, courses, capacitation, and paperwork, the couple had been given an appointment to visit the orphanage in order to see if they fitted with any of the kids. That’s when they met five-year-old twins Emma and Finn. _

_ They fell in love with the kids instantly, and they were lucky enough that the kids seemed to feel the same. When they got home they received a call from their assigned social worker, telling them the twins had been really happy and would like to spend more time with them. _

_ When they brought them home, they all cried.  _

_ Finally, two years after meeting them, Emma and Finn carried the last name Kaspbrak-Tozier.  _

_ “First class passengers from flight DL-347 to Atlanta, please walk up to the front desk in order to start boarding” _

They kept silent during the flight. Not because of anything but the fact that Eddie had a tendency to fall asleep, and Richie would just catch up with work. He would pull out his laptop and a notebook, writing and going over the material as Eddie laid his head on his arm. Sometimes he would wrap his arm around him so that his head laid on his chest. They both felt more comfortable that way. 

Eddie woke up just as the plane was making it’s landing. They went through their usual routine almost on autopilot, picking up their luggage, ordering an Uber to wherever their hotel was, taking a two hour nap and finally eating something before going to where they had to be. It wasn’t until they were in front of Stanley’s house that it finally settled in. They were about to see a man who they frankly did not know anymore.

Eddie was the one to knock on the door, not without hesitating. Their breath hitched when they heard steps, and a female voice walking up to them. The woman who opened the door looked at them with such confusion that it made them think they were at the wrong house. “Um, hello? How can I help you?” she said with a sweet voice. 

“Hi, my name is Richie Tozier, and this is Eddie Kaspbrak. Is Stanley Uris home? We are old friends,” the comedian said, running a hand through his hair. “He may not recognize us, but we have to talk to him if he could”

She gave them a smile and asked them to wait there while she got Stan. It gave them time to look at the house, and while they had been getting memories back since the day before, they had this strong feeling that it was the way that they always thought Stan would end up. 

Their thoughts were interrupted by a cough. “Um, hi. You’re Richie Tozier? Aren’t you that comedian?” the man standing in front of them said, and Richie had to bite his tongue to repress a joke his subconscious really wanted to tell. “And I think my wife said your name was Eddie.”

“Yeah, you got them right,” Eddie said. “Hi Stan, I don’t know if you remember us? We were friends, back in Derry.”

They saw a look on his face that they supposed was the same as when they got the first flashbacks to their childhood, and they really hoped his response wouldn’t be as chaotic as crashing a car or vomiting for a minute straight.

It wasn’t. 

Instead he just smiled, clearly nervous, and invited them to come in. The couple obliged, worried looks as they watched Stan slightly shaking. He lead them to the living room, asking them if they wanted anything to drink, his voice just above a whisper.

“We’re good Stan, thank you,” Eddie said. “Maybe you should sit down so we can help you out with whatever you’re thinking.”

“What, what are you guys doing here?” Stan asked, after keeping silence for a few minutes. Richie could swear he saw his heart pounding in his chest. “How are you here? How did you find me?” the man said, panting. 

_ “How can you remember me?” _

Stan’s voice was filled with so much pain that Richie wanted to burst out crying. Sure, he had only remembered his existence the day before, but Stan had been his best friend, even when the rest of the losers would argue that Eddie had been the one to take that spot. He had been in love with Eddie, and Stan was like his brother. They had known everything about each other, and although he had never explicitly told Stan, Richie was sure that he knew about his crush. 

“-leaving as soon as we feel unsafe, and we extend that promise to you” 

Richie looked up as his mind came back to focus on the conversation. “He’s right, you know?” he said, knowing by his husband’s last phrase what the conversation had been about. “We’ll leave as soon as one of us feel like they need to. It was always the best choice to listen to ‘Stan the man’s forty-year-old soul. How old is it now? Fucking eighty?”

Stan let out a chuckle. “Close. It’s seventy-eight this month” he sighed. “I’m really happy to see you, but I don’t think I’ll go back to Derry.”

Richie’s smile fell to the ground. “What? Why?” he said, panicking. “We’re all supposed to meet again, you know? Bill, Mike, and- fuck, I can’t remember”

“Bev and Ben” Eddie completed, rolling his eyes. 

“Yes! Bev and Ben.” Richie exclaimed. “C’mon man, it will be good for us. I mean, don’t you ever think why we forgot our entire childhood?”

Stan got up, opened his fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. “Look, you were always an asshole Richie. But now, you’re a wealthy asshole, and I plan to take advantage of that” he said, smiling as he poured the wine in a glass that already stood on the counter. “So I’ll go. But know that I have a quarter of patience than I did when we were kids for stupid jokes, and I will not hesitate-”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it Stan the man. Now go get your shit packed, we have a flight in five hours to catch.  Now, pip pip and tally-ho my good fellows!”

“Beep beep, Richie!”


	4. Chapter 4

Finn Kaspbrak-Tozier was always confused at his parents’ lack of memories. 

_ He was ten when he found out thanks to the fact that along with Emma, he had a project about family history, and he had gotten stuck with the task of investigating. He thought it was a fair exchange due to the fact that he had no artistic abilities and his sister was an extra art freak, so he knew she would make it look awesome.  _

_ “Just ask them about how they met, y’ know? How they got together and decided to adopt us. You can also ask about their childhood if you want. I know you love listening to dad’s stories” Emma had said as she made a draft of how she would accommodate the information and images. “Just make sure they’re together, they balance each other out. That way you won’t get a lecture about the dangers of being alive or a PG stand-up routine”  _

_ And that’s just what he did. He waited until his dad got home from his office and they ate dinner. The moment came once they were all hanging in the living room, except Eddie, who was washing the dishes. Richie sat down on the couch, his laptop and notebook on top of the tiny table he had bought about a year before. Emma was reading a book their aunt Andromeda had gifted her, and Finn was just waiting.  _

_ “How did you guys meet?” he exclaimed, taking the room by surprise. Their parents shared a quick look before turning their attention to their son. “Emma and I have to do a project on family history, and Ms. Johnson said ours has to be the best one since we’re doing it as a team.” _

_ Richie chuckled. “And it will be kiddo. Let me tell you the story of how your dad swept me off my feet.” he straightened up and put aside his work. “It was the year two thousand, and your aunt Andromeda had just become my manager. I did a show in a comedy club, and your aunt had dragged your dad to see it with her. When she took him backstage to meet me, the first thing your father said to me was ‘I don’t think you’re funny’. No follow up” _

_ Emma burst out laughing. “Damn dad! You went right for the throat, didn’t you?” _

_ “In my defense, he wasn’t funny. He still had that dumb ghostwriter that made all of those crude jokes.“ Eddie said, putting the last dish in the drying rack. “You got way funnier when you got hired at SNL” he added as he sat down next to his husband.  _

_ “Yes. Kids, your dad helped my career and stole my heart. I fell head over heels when he told me I sucked.” Richie proclaimed, wrapping Eddie in a hug. “But being honest, I admired his honesty. I hated my jokes, and I knew other people in my team did so as well. But your dad was the first one to truly tell me the truth. I fired my writer the next day, and begged Andromeda for his number right after that.” He looked down and found Eddie smiling at him, and he placed a kiss on his temple.  _

_ “Gross. You should have told me that you would get all mushy so that I could leave.” Emma exclaimed. “I’m going to my room” _

_ Finn stayed with his parents and kept asking them questions, which they contested happily. They had basically told them everything about their relationship, but the boy still had a question for them. “What about your childhood?” he asked. “I don’t think any of you’ve ever told us anything about them” _

_ The couple looked at each other, this time more nervous than before. Finn counted ten minutes before one of them decided to talk. “We, um.” Eddie started. “We don’t remember anything about our childhood.” _

_ The boy looked at them with confusion. “What do you mean? I’m sure to remember something! Like, where did you guys grow up?” _

_ “We don’t know. I was born here because my parents were visiting friends, and that’s what says on my birth certificate. Same with your dad, he was born in Boston.” Richie said. “Your dad and I talked about this when we first got together. We have a vague feeling about it, but nothing concrete. It didn’t bother us, so we never looked into answers.”  _

_ “What about our grandparents? Surely they must remember something!” Finn exclaimed. His hopes were crushed when they shook their heads. “Have you ever gone to therapy? Maybe you’re repressing those memories due to a dramatic event that traumatized you.” _

_ Richie and Eddie looked at each other, and it bothered Finn that unless they made it obvious, he wouldn’t what they shared. “We will go with a therapist son, don’t worry” Eddie had said, and that was the end of that conversation.  _

They did go to therapy, to no avail. Doctor Baker was great and she helped them with so many issues, but they had never gotten the memories back. And now, out of nowhere, they got a call and started remembering things? It was a complete mystery. 

It just so happens that Finn loved mysteries. 

“Emma! Dude, I have something to tell you!” he shouted, following his sisters through the halls. He was not the most 'physically gifted', his asthma had prevented him from being as athletic as his sister was. It had bothered him while he was young, but now he took advantage of it all the time. Having to sweat for an hour? Having to shower and change with twenty boys of his grade? It's all gone thanks to 'asthma' and 'restrictions enforced by a paranoid father'! Emma, on the other hand, was extremely hyperactive. She practiced every sport she could as a child. By the time he caught up with her, he was panting, and she immediately pulled out an inhaler out of her jacket. “I’m fine. Just, why do you walk so fast? Fucking tall-ass”

Emma rolled her eyes. “You’re tall too dumbass. Now get on with whatever you want to say, Maya and I are using our free period to get ice cream” she said, motioning to the girl on her left, who simply waved. 

“I have a mystery to solve. Our dads are getting their memories back, and I’m positive there’s something weird going on there. It is our duty to figure it out!” Finn said an excited smile on his face. “F&E, P.D is back in business baby!” 

The smile fell at the sight of his sister’s incredulous expression. “Finn, we were fucking ten years old! I’m ninety-nine percent positive they set up all the stupid cases we solved. Did it never seem suspicious to you that after a week, the missing clue would always appear when a case was ‘going cold’?” she said, emphasizing the air quotes. “It’s because after a week dad would always put it there! Because they were fake! And honestly, I don’t think there’s any mystery to solve. They just went to visit old friends” 

“I thought you would say that and that’s why I prepared a Powerpoint presentation for you at home. I’m sure we can all get Ice cream.” 

Before Emma could say anything, Maya chuckled and stepped forward. “I’m actually interested in what you’re saying. What if instead of ‘F&E, P.D’, we turn it into ‘F&M, P.D’?” she said before winking teasingly at Emma. Finn caught up immediately. “Of course Maya! We should go get ice cream to celebra-”

“NO!” Emma shouted, gaining the attention of the people around them. “Let’s do it. We can be F&M&E, P.D. So it rhymes.”

The other two simply smirked. “Fine, you can stay. Now let’s go home! I can explain everything there.”

Emma knew that they would not be going back to school, no matter how much Maya insisted that they would try to be quick so they could come back before their next class started. She simply texted one of her classmates that Finn wasn’t feeling well and he had thrown up all over Maya, so she was taking them home. 

Eddie had been so excited that his children turned 16 back in February because that meant he could teach them how to drive. He absolutely loved driving and honestly, he was really good. Richie always insisted he could have been a racecar driver if he wanted, and then his husband would go on a rant about how unsafe it was, about statistics and blah, blah, blah. But when the moment of passing the torch to the twins, boy was he ready. 

He made t-shirts, a powerpoint presentation, personalized manuals for each of them. He went so out of his way that he requested a week off from work so that he had all the time he wanted to teach the teens. At the end of the week, he made them take a test, both on paper and in the car. Finn had passed with flying colors, but Emma had been having ‘more difficulties’ as Eddie liked to put it. It was when she crashed against their mailbox that they decided,  _ collectively,  _ by the way, that Finn would be their designated driver. 

And now, he was parking in front of the new frozen yogurt place that Maya had been talking about all week. She bolted out of the car the moment he turned off the car leaving the siblings to roll their eyes. Finn didn’t say anything about the smile and faint blush on Emma’s face.

The girls wanted to stay there and enjoy their ‘fro-yo’ in peace, but Finn looked more and more worked up as he looked at his phone. He shook his head, anxiety washing over him as he read an article from ‘The Derry Times’´. 

‘ _ One man dead and another one injured as series of disappearances continue’.  _

_ Adrian Mellon (23), was found dead the night of Wednesday, September 7th, along with Don Hagarty (25) his partner, who was badly injured. This death comes up during the strange wave of disappearances the city has been experiencing- _

“We need to go right now” he exclaimed, getting up and running to the car. The girls quickly followed, confused at his sudden outburst. They said nothing on the car ride to the twins’ house. They followed him towards his room, where he just clicked a button on his wall to turn on the projector. 

“Hello, and welcome to the presentation ‘F&E, P.D. Reloaded’ by Finn Kaspbrack-Tozier.” he started. “First of all, we have to establish the subjects. This is Edward ‘Eddie’ Kaspbrack, who we will be calling subject A, and this is Richard ‘Richie’ Tozier, aka, subject B” he said, pointing at the pictures of their dads.

“Hey, Finn. Why did you pick photos where they look miserable?” Emma asked, and he just rolled his eyes.

He then went on and on with his very prepared presentation, which Emma could not figure out when the hell he had made it. He gave them so much information that they could barely process it. She came to a halt during the sixth slide, when he read out loud the last three words. 

“Wait a fucking second, Bill Denbrough? Are you saying that my favorite and simultaneously my most hated writer is involved with this bullshit?” she shouted. 

“And that takes us to the people of interest in this case” Finn continued, completely ignoring his sister. “First of all, William ‘Bill’ Denbrough. A famous writer who was 13 when the events in Derry happened. Beverly Marsh, a famous fashion designer who was 13 when the events in Derry happened. Ben Hanscom, a recognized architect who was 13 when the events in Derry happened. Stanley Uris, an accountant who was 13 when the events in Derry happened. And finally, Mike Hanlon. Who was the one who called Subject A and who was 13 when the events in Derry happened.”

“What in the actual fuck Finn? Why? How? I don’t understand” Maya muttered. “These people are fucking famous dude! My entire outfit is from the new line by Beverly Marsh. The building where my mom works at was designed by Ben Hanscom. I just bought the new Bill Denbrough book to gift it to Emma and now you’re trying to tell us that they have something to do with your dads’ amnesia?”

Finn simply clicked to the next slide. “Why are these people of interest in the case? First of all, Mr. Denbrough, Mr. Hanscom and Ms. Marsh have all said at some point that they have little to no recollection of their childhood. Mr. Uris and Mr. Hanlon were mentioned by the subjects when they discussed the call. Records have shown that all of these people lived in Derry when this traumatic event happened. And to top it all off, I found this picture in one of the boxes they never use. Just, look at it”

With a click, everything fell into place. Emma immediately recognized the second kid from left to right as Richie, and the second one from right to left as Eddie. The girl next to Richie was clearly Beverly Marsh and the other kids started to look more and more like their adult counterparts as she stared at the picture. All she could utter was a very soft “Holy shit.”

“Yeah, and my theory is that Mr. Hanlon called subjects A and B because they were all involved in whatever happened in 1987, and they felt like they needed to do something about it, putting themselves in great danger, and we need to go to them now and get them out of that fucking hellhole before-.” And with that, Finn started sobbing. 

Emma rushed to hug her brother, not saying anything. Ever since becoming a family, Finn’s greatest fear was something to happen to them, and not being able to do anything to stop it. Right now he felt his parents were in danger and he wanted, no, he  _ needed _ to at least make sure that his suspicions were incorrect and they just were, like Emma had said, visiting old friends.

“We’ll go, ok? We’ll call aunt Andromeda so she can take us and we’ll make sure they’re ok,” she repeated it like a mantra, rubbing circles on his back. “And they will be ok.”

She held onto him until he stopped shaking, and she thanked the universe for ever giving her the chance of meeting Maya, who had ran downstairs and brought a glass of water along with Finn’s inhaler. “Everything’s fine Finn, just remember to breathe, ok? Deep breaths, like we do sometimes. Focus on me, on nothing else."

Fuck, she loved her. 

“We can’t tell Andromeda.”

“What? Why? We need her to get us there Finn, we’re minors” 

“She would never let us leave Ems, you know that,” Finn said, sniffling. “Look, it’s 11:20 right now, and the car ride there is seven hours. Including bathroom breaks, we can be there by seven.”

Emma sighed. She hated lying to adults, especially adults she loved, but this was more important “Let’s go pack our bags.”

“I want to go with you,” Maya said. “Wair, no. I am going with you. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”

The twins were sure that Maya wanted to cause a big impression on them, but they had known her for too fucking long to know she meant that. So they just nodded, and Emma guided her to her room, where a quarter of her closet was dedicated to Maya. They packed quickly, and the girl called her mom to tell her the Kaspbracks were going out of town and had invited her to go with them. It took nothing to convince her, as her parents would also be going out of town to visit a friend. 

They were putting their bags into the car when Emma received a call. Her heart dropped when she read the contact as ‘Aunt An’. “Hey, An! What’s up?” she said, cursing the shakiness on her voice. Sure, her anxiety wasn’t as bad as Finn’s, but it was still there. 

_ “Hi darling! Hey, I just got a call from your school. They said you and Finn didn’t show up for your third period?” _

“Oh! Yeah, I was about to call you. Maya felt nauseous this morning, and she accidentally threw up on me, so Finn brought us home. Everything’s fine now!” 

_ “Well, I’m glad everything’s fine now. Listen, there are some problems at work, so I’ll probably get home late. If there’s anything that you guys need my help with, call me, ok? Bye-bye!” _

Just like that, she hung up.

“Well, let’s go then” 

And with that, the teens were on their way to save their dads. Or at least, try really hard. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the link to the PP Finn made: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xEKmh8O6QS4LU8VqGTw3oQCb0EnGpocwKYWjoqdD2po/edit?usp=sharing


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These will be getting longer as they go if I'm being honest with you.

Their flight left at 17:20, and they were in Bangor at ten.

Eddie went straight to rent a car, while Richie and Stan went to pick up the luggage. Richie noticed his friend was being weird like he wanted to say something. “What’s on your mind, Stan the man?” he said, startling him. The accountant looked at him with hesitance. “Um, you and Eddie. You guys are like, together?” 

Richie couldn’t help the laugh that came out of him. “I’m sorry Staniel, but yeah. We are together. He has been wrapped around my finger for 16 years now.” he then proceeded to put on his British accent. “I am so sorry my good sir, but my heart belongs to another.”

It was like someone flicked a switch in Stan’s mind. “Fucking finally! Do you know the torture you both had me endure when we were kids? I had to stand up with hanging out with both of you when Bill and Mike couldn’t make it, making googly eyes at each other. It was always ‘oh Stan, do you think Eddie’s mad at me’? ‘Oh Stan, do you think Richie will like his gift?’ ‘Oh Stan, I’m not gay but I definitely look at my best friend like he’s the moon and stars and all I want to do is kiss him forever’. You guys were so fucking love in each other and you didn’t even know it. Thank god I don’t have to be your fucking love counselor anymore.” he exclaimed. “Are you going to tell the others?” 

“I’ll have to ask the hubs first. I don’t think anyone will react negatively, but we’re still worried about being public you know? Like, we both can take it, but we don’t want the kids to lose their privacy, that’s why the only thing people know about my personal life is that I’m marri-”

“Fuck, you have kids? Someone let the ‘trashmouth’ have kids? What the fuck?” 

“Fuck you Staniel, I’ll let you know I’m an awesome parent, thank you very much. My kids are fucking great” he says, gaining attention from the people around them. “Now let’s go to find my husband before he devolves into a tiny ball of fury.”

Eddie was waiting at the exit, looking at his phone with a frown. He has a keychain on his hand, and that tells Richie the task of renting a car was successful. “Where were you dipshits? I was just about to call you, Mike said he’ll see us at the restaurant,” he said, and lead them to the car. 

The car ride wasn’t silent, but the closer they got to Derry, the more the mood fell. They looked around, seeing the places they grew up in as dread settled on their stomachs. Richie had sat on the back, and he could see the disdain in the faces of the men. Stan looked worse than them. 

They got to the townhouse first. They found their keys on a desk in the entrance, leaving quickly their stuff in their rooms before heading to the restaurant. Jade of the orient did not exist while they lived there but Mike had said it was really good, and the Kaspbracks were never ones to deny Chinese food. When they were coming out of the car, they saw another man, tall and who looked like he definitely went to the gym twice a day. They all froze when he saw them and rushed to tackle them in a hug. “Hello, guys! How are you?” he said, making them feel like they were being crushed. They uttered weak responses, and Richie panted when he let go. “Hello, you fit stranger,” he said, doing a voice. “How are you this fine evening?”

The man chuckled. “You don’t recognize me? Dude, it’s me! Ben Hanscom! You know, good old ‘haystack’. I haven’t changed that much, have I?”

Everyone looked at him incredulously. "Ben? Ben fucking Hanscom?" Eddie said, clearly in shock. Stan just shook his head, refusing to believe that this man was chubby, sweet and innocent Ben Hanscom. Richie, making his nickname proud, immediately started talking. “You’re joking, right? Like, you don’t actually believe that you look the same as when we were kids?” Ben shook his head. “Whatever, you’ve already hurt my self-esteem. Let’s go inside.”

They were instructed to a private room that Mike had reserved. Waiting for them were three people, a tall man whose smile they could recognize anywhere, a man with flannel and a familiar grin, and a woman with hair as red as embers. They looked at each other with surprise and shock. This group had meant the world to each other. And somehow, they hadn’t remembered each other for over twenty years. 

Richie was the one who broke the silence. Everyone was so entailed in their thoughts that they didn’t notice him walking towards the huge gong that was at the entrance of the room. 

_ GONG _

“This meeting of the losers’ club has officially begun!” he exclaimed, startling the rest of the group. Some glared at him, some rolled their eyes, but Richie Tozier being Richie Trashmouth Tozier was all that they needed. 

Meanwhile, the Kaspbrak-Tozier twins and Maya Green had been lying on the beds of the room they had rented, in the only available place in town. They had gotten to Derry two hours ago, and they already hated the place. No wonder Eddie had called it cursed. The place was terrifying. Driving through the town was, to say the least, spooky. There was an eerie vibe to it, one that definitely made them uncomfortable. Emma felt her heart drop suddenly and felt the urge to run far out of there and never come back. But she was there with her brother and her best friend, she knew she would be safe. 

“So, what’s your plan Mr. Detective?” she said, teasingly. “We’re here, what now?”

“I put a bug in dad’s phone so that I could duplicate it on mine. He talked with Mike and they are going to a Chinese restaurant, so I thought we could get something to eat and we’ll go check on them there? I searched it on google and it has good reviews!” Finn responded. “But first I need to take a shower. How about I go first, get changed in there, and then leave to explore the inn?”

The girls nodded and just tried to sleep instead. Finn always took time when getting ready, so Emma told him to wake them up when he was done. Half an hour later he threw a pillow to her head and left the room. She got up and decided not to wake up Maya, simply try to be the quietest she could. It was, though, the most uncomfortable shower she had ever taken in her life. She felt a stare the whole time, and the drain kept making the weirdest noises like there was something that wanted to come out. 

She decided to not spend more time at the bathroom, so she wrapped a towel around herself and rushed to wake up Maya. 

She was tying her shoelaces when screaming came out of the bathroom. Her first instinct was to run, but the moment she remembered Maya was in there, she rushed to open the bathroom door. Maya was sitting on the floor of the shower as she sobbed, and Emma almost missed it, but she saw something red going back the drain. She acted as quick as she could, grabbing the towel that was hanging on the door so she could put it around her friend, lifting her and guiding her out of the bathroom. Maya kept on sobbing and as soon as they sat down on the bed, she wrapped Emma in a hug. “It was horrible Ems! It was taunting me” she managed to say between sobs. “It said such horrible things”

Emma held her until she stopped calmed down, her heart aching as she saw her suffer. “Hon, do you think you can change? Do you want to go get Chinese food?” she said, her tone as soft as it could be. “We can stay here if you want. Or go somewhere else completely. What do you say?”

Maya wiped her eyes. “No, I want Chinese food,” she said. “Let me change quickly, ok?” 

Emma was standing up to leave when Maya gripped her wrist. “No!” she exclaimed, making Emma’s eyes widen. “Would you stay? I’d rather not be alone, and I would never be uncomfortable with you.”

The girl nodded in response and sat back down. She fixed her sight on the ground, and could not pay attention for the life of her to the words her best friend was saying. _ ‘I love her, I love her, I love her so much’ _she repeated over and over until Maya was standing in front of her. “Let’s go, I’m starving,” she said, her usual smile back on her face, and Emma thought that day had been so hard on her heart. 

Finn noticed something had happened, but he preferred to ask later. Unlike the trip there, the car ride to the restaurant was silent. As Maya came out of the car, she saw four men a few spots away from them, hugging. She couldn’t see who they were until they pulled apart and saw one of them exaggeratedly panting, and saw the distinct face of Richie Tozier. 

“Fuck, they’re here!” she exclaimed, a little too loud. It made one of the men turn around in her direction and she immediately crouched down and got back into the car. “Do not move or they will see us.” Her ominous tone made the twins start freaking out. “It’s your dads! They’re here. We should probably wait for a little before going in.”

They waited for ten minutes before walking to the restaurant and were seated almost immediately. Finn had figured out that they were in one of the private rooms by hearing their loud voices, so they asked for a table right next to it and just waited. It was hard to focus on them with all the chaos around them. They could hear phrases here and there, but they didn’t know who they came from. Until they heard the distinct mocking tone Richie used only with Eddie. 

_ “So wait, Eddie, you got married?” _

_ “Yo, why is it so fucking funny dickwad?” _ Eddie responded _ . _

_ “What, to like a woman?” _Richie asked, incredulously. 

_ “Fuck you bro” _

_ “Fuck you!” _

They looked at each other with confusion. Sure, sometimes the men wouldn’t say they were married to each other to maintain their privacy, but they NEVER denied their sexuality. When they returned their attention to listening to the conversation, Beverly was the one talking. 

_ “-no way Richie’s married!” she said, laughing. _

_ “No, I am, I got married!” _Richie replied, sounding very sure of what he was saying.

_ “Richie, I don’t believe it” _

_ “When?” _Eddie asked, interested in what his husband was saying.

_ “You didn’t hear this?” _

_ “No.” _

_ “You didn’t know I got married?” _

_ “No!” _

_ “Yeah. No, me and your mom are very happy together!” _

The group busted in laughter, and Finn could almost see his father rolling his eyes. _ “You totally fell for it!” _

They stopped listening after that. Instead, focusing on their food, keeping silence the whole time. The couple sounded happy like they were enjoying meeting these people again. But they couldn’t figure out why they lied. 

They were about to ask for the check when the voices in the room went quiet. It stayed like that for a moment, before they heard everybody freak out, and then proceed to scream. They froze in their place, not knowing what to do. If they went in there they would be discovered and would blow their dads’ cover. If not, they may be subjecting them to real danger. The moment they heard the dishes being smashed was when Finn stood up and ran towards the group. When he got there, he saw who he assumed was Mike Hanlon, smashing a chair against the table, as the rest pushed themselves to the corners on the room. What disturbed him was the sight of what they were afraid of. 

The bowl full of fortune cookies had little beasts coming out of it, one on the floor was a disgusting eye. Something was flying around the room, taunting Eddie and Ben, who was pushing the shorter man back. Richie kept shouting his name as he shook in fear. Beverly and Bill were hugging each other, their gazes glued to the table. Stan had pushed himself against the floor in his corner while he cried, though it seemed like he didn’t realize that tears were falling onto the ground.

Not even a second before he was going to rush in and help, a loud cough was heard behind him. He turned around to see a waitress staring at the scene with concern and a tint of anger, and when he turned back he saw nothing there. All of the little beasts were completely wrong. He took it as a cue to leave and not get caught by his parents, walking faster when he heard Richie say an awkward “Can we get the check?”

He scrambled back to his table and gave the waitress the amount of cash they had calculated, along a twenty percent tip and gave it to their waitress. He rushed the girls and they bolted out of the restaurant, trying to get in their car as soon as possible, so they could get to the inn before the rest of the occupants did. As they put on their seatbelts, Emma made a strange face and started to bounce her leg up and down. “I’ll be back!” She screamed and rushed back inside, leaving Finn and Maya alone in the car. 

“So, what’s up with you an Ems, huh?” Finn asked, turning around to face her. “You’ve been acting stranger than usual, having all of these candid moments like out of a rom-com.”

Even in the shitty lighting of the car, he could see Maya’s blush. “Nothing’s happening, just best friends as usual,” she replied, letting out an awkward laugh. “Why, did she say something about me?”

Finn chuckled. “Not exactly. She’s been more ‘giving my best friend lovey-dovey eyes when I think no one’s looking when in reality everybody knows we’re pining for each other’. And I’ve known you long enough to recognize that’s how you are feeling too.”

“Well if she feels like that then why doesn’t she make a move! I’ve been giving her so many hints and it’s like they go from an ear to the other. I’m so tired to be waiting for her to do something.” the girl replied. 

“Maybe you should try doing something?” the boy said. “We both know that Emma has a hard time expressing her feelings. Maybe she’s struggling to realize her obvious crush on you” 

Before they could say anything else, Finn’s phone started ringing. 

_ “Guys! I’m stuck!” _Emma said through the line. 

“Like on the toilet? What the fuck Emma?”

_ “No, you fucking asshole. They’re screaming at each other in front of the exit, it seems they’re leaving to the inn”. _

“Shit. Um, go out running to the corner, we’ll pick you up there.” 

They didn’t bother to hang up the phone. Finn turned on the car and got out of the parking stop as fast as he could. His problem appeared as he got closer to where Emma was, as the group was standing on the street. He turned off the lights and honked at them, hoping they wouldn’t turn around to face them. To his bad luck, they did. 

“What’s your problem asshole?” Richie shouted at him. He simply crouched down to hide his face and made a motion with his hand to signal they needed to move. They did, reluctantly, but his heart dropped as he saw that they were heading to their cars. “Ems, run up here now! We have to go as soon as possible.”

Ten seconds later, the girl was closing the passenger door, and Finn almost broke the gas pedal. 

Usually, Finn would have got them there with at least three minutes to spare according to what the route on google maps said. But he did not know shit about this town, and he was taking slower than he would have expected. “If we get there before them it would be a miracle.”

Eddie was driving the car. Richie was too mad to do anything else but rant. 

“What in the actual fuck was Mike thinking? Fucking risk our lives because a clown that traumatized us is back? A clown that will most likely than not kill us? We are so leaving this shithole of a town-”

“Yeah, we know babe. I’ll call Andromeda to tell her as soon as we get flights. And don’t worry Stan, we’re getting one for you too.”

“And what the fuck was with that asshole that honked at us? The coward fucking hid his face.” the comedian kept on ranting. “It was the same model as Finn’s car, I noticed that.”

“Yeah, it was. And did you see the girl that pushed through us to get out? She looked like Emma.” Eddie added. “It’s probably just hallucinations, right? Like the ones we saw at the restaurant.”

“Of course! I mean, the kids wouldn’t be reckless enough to follow us into Derry, right?” Richie said, unsure. “I’ll call them, just to check on them.”

Emma picked up after the fifth ring. 

_ “Hey pops, what’s up?” _she said, and Richie could swear she was nervous. 

“Oh nothing, just calling in to check on you. How was school?” 

_ “Good! How are you guys doing in ‘the cursed town of Derry’?” _

“We’re going home. We’ll probably be there by tomorrow morning.”

_ “What? Why? Is it because of something dangerous? I knew that what I saw was real.” _Finn butted in.

“Finn, son. Could you speak a little louder? I couldn’t hear you well. What do you mean what you saw?” 

_ “Um, nothing! We have to go now, bye!” _

They maintained silence when the twins hung up. 

It seemed like destiny when they pulled into the inn’s parking lot and saw the siblings leaving out of the car. Richie honked at them and they froze. Eddie parked the car and the men left the car, walking up to the still teenagers. It was then they realized that Maya was with them. “Et Tu, Maya?” Richie said dramatically. She shrugged. “Finn made a PowerPoint.”

“Ooh, I love Finn’s PowerPoints! Let’s go see it. Oh, and kids? Say hi to your uncle Stan, please.” he added, and proceeded to walk inside, followed by his husband. The teenagers and Stan looked at each other awkwardly. 

“Hi uncle Stan”

“Hi kids.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is dedicated completely and absolutely to the great Brookesmart, who helped me out with something that left me stuck for days. Thank you so much!  
tw. there are mentions of a suicide attempt and suicidal thoughts. Nothing graphic or elaborated, but I will put the beginning and end of it on bold

“You all are grounded for life, you do realize that?” Eddie exclaimed as he paced around the room. His husband was next to him, his arms crossed, and the teenagers were sitting on the bed. 

“It was Finn’s idea!” Emma said automatically. 

“No one likes a snitch, princess! That’s life and a day more.”

“Shut up Rich! But he’s right Emma, no one likes a snitch.” Eddie said. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why did you think it would be a good idea to drive seven hours into this town, follow us and see what we were doing? Do you know how dangerous it is here? Your father and I almost died when we were kids!”

“I know! That’s why we’re here!” Finn exclaimed after being silent from the moment they walked into the inn. Not waiting for a response, he walked towards his bag and pulled out his laptop. “This is what Maya meant when she says I made a powerpoint. It was too suspicious to me that you got a call out of nowhere and suddenly you’re getting memories back? So I did a little digging and I made a presentation to convince Emma to come with me, and then Maya tagged along because I had the suspicion both of you were in trouble. And then I saw the fucking article about the gay couple being attacked I-” his voice was cut off by a sob. “I couldn’t stay there and do nothing when you had memory loss accounting to a total of eighteen years, the call was so shocking you crashed your fucking car, dad has been acting like he’s permanently hungover, you dropped everything to go see people you haven’t seen in decades and go back to this cursed hellhole that’s so fucking dangerous and no one cares! No one talks about how the crime rate is six times higher than the average, or how every twenty-seven years something horrible happens! I know you were affected, all of you were! Did you really expect me to just ignore that? To leave my family go to what could be their deaths?” As tears came out, he thought about how it was the second time he had cried that day. They were too many times. 

Richie was the first one to hug him, pulling his son as close as he could to him. “We love you” he repeated over and over into his curls, and it wasn’t too long before Finn felt tears falling on his shoulder. Soon after, he felt another pair of arms, this time from Eddie. Emma and Maya joined, and the couple pushed them to be in the middle with Finn. 

“Well, I’m gonna go” Stan muttered awkwardly as he slowly walked through the door. The creak of the door startled Richie, and he looked up to see his friend move uncomfortably through the small space he had made for himself. “Staniel, why don’t you join us?” he exclaimed. 

Stan smiled and shook his head, but Richie could see him shaking subtly. “I have to pack so we can get out of this shithole as soon as possible, ok? You should do that too.” and with that, he left to go to his room.

“He’s right kids,” Eddie said, slowly pulling apart from the hug. “C’mon, let’s pack.” 

It took them less than ten minutes to pack, as they basically ran around their rooms to make sure nothing was missing. As always, due to the size of his bags, Eddie was the last one ready, as the others waited for him downstairs. Stan looked jittery, anxious, and he worried Richie. Stan had a tough time, he remembered. He had constant nightmares and full-on panic attacks. They all had some sort of long-lasting effect after beating It, but it had seemed to disappear or at the very least lessen when they left Derry. Bev had left first, followed by Ben and Bill. Richie left when he was seventeen, and Eddie told him that day that he left not long after him. Stan was the last man standing out of the six that got away.

“I’m coming! Don’t worry, it’s just these stupid stairs are not up to code for handling all of these! What if someone in a wheelchair came in, huh? Do you know how hazardous it would-”

_ “Whatever it is that you’re afraid to tell me”  _

Ben’s voice echoed through the halls, as Richie saw Beverly rush into the area where the tiny bar was. He dropped his bags on the floor and followed his friends, leaving the others to help Eddie bring the suitcases down the stairs. 

“Whatever you guys are talking about, let’s make it happen fast, alright? We gotta go.” He said as he leaned against the door frame of the little room. He then turned back to the hallway, not caring to hear a response. “Eduardo! Andale, let’s go!”. 

Ignoring Richie’s intrusión in the conversation, Ben kept talking. “There’s something you’re not telling us Bev” there was a concern in his voice, but Beverly couldn’t figure out why it was like that. Instead, she pushed through Ben and Richie, who was still standing on the doorway. “I can’t do this” she muttered, gaining the attention of the comedian. “What do you mean you ‘can’t do this’ Bev? What is ‘this’?” 

Beverly walked to the front desk, being followed by the two men. She sighed as she punched the bell over and over again. Ben huffed with frustration. “You can’t just walk away from this! What do you know Bev?” he exclaimed, desperation taking over him. “Come on! Talk to me, Bev! You know, like we used to!”. 

The woman didn’t get a word out. Instead, Emma cleared her throat to make their presence known to the strangers. “Um, hi? What is going on, dad?” she said as all eyes fell on her. “Can we leave now?”

“No!” Bev exclaimed, immediately putting her hands over her mouth. She started shaking, tears forming in her eyes. “You, you’re Emma, right?” she said as her voice broke. The girl nodded, confused. Bev then looked at the tall boy beside her. “And you’re Finn! Oh god.” She then pointed at Maya, but a sob came out instead of words. 

“Did you just recognized all of my kids by name? How? Eddie and I have been so careful that none of that information comes out.” Richie said, slightly shaking with nervousness. Eddie noticed, and he immediately moved to be right beside his husband. “Who else knows, Bev? Who?”

Ben took a step back to analyze the situation. Bev was holding herself as sobs shook her body. Richie looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack, Eddie being close to following. Emma and the other girl that Bev had yet to reveal the name of, gave each other panicked and confused looks, while Finn’s face was red as he reached for something in his pocket. “Let’s all go sit down, alright? I think we can deal with whatever’s happening in the living room.”

Once they were all seated in the place this thing had begun, with Richie standing behind the bar as he shakily poured himself a shot, Bev found the strength to speak. “Every night since Derry, I’ve been,” she sighed. “having these nightmares. People in pain, people dying, people-” a sob cut her off. 

“So you have nightmares! I have nightmares. People have nightmares! That doesn’t mean that your visions are true!” Eddie said, anxiously pacing around the room. No one said anything to support his idea. 

Bev continued. “I recognized them the minute she talked, Eddie! Because I’ve heard her voice in the dreams too. I’ve seen this fucking thing over and over for two hellish decades. Different ways sometimes, but it’s always the same outcome. The same order, the same ending. We all-”

“We all what?” a voice said from the entrance. Bill looked sick like he was going to throw up at any moment, Mike was holding him.

“Oh my freaking god Maya, look! It’s Bill fucking Denbrough!” Emma exclaimed, slightly slapping her friend. Maya rolled her eyes. “Now it’s not the time Ems.”

The adults ignored it. “W...we all what, Bev?” Bill insisted. 

“We all die”

The room fell into a tense silence. Not even the resident ‘trashmouth’ could come up with something. It felt like hours passed before someone got the courage to speak up. To everyone, especially his family, Finn was the one to speak up. 

“How? If you don’t mind me asking Ms. Marsh. How do we all die?”

Beverly’s eyes widened. She opened and closed her mouth several times. “I don’t know it would be a good idea to tell you,” she muttered. Finn shook his head, clenching his fists. “Please!” he begged. “I need to know.”

The woman sighed. “First you guys go.” she starts. “All three of you and Eddie. Car accident just as you drop off the rental car in Bangor. Richie makes it out barely, but he doesn’t last long without all of you. Around a week after the funeral he does it. Then it’s Mike. He stays here for too long and It gets him, around three months after everyone else has left. Ben goes next due to an accident while overseeing one of the construction sites he’s working on. Then it’s Bill and me together, at our hotel after his funeral. My husband finds out and just loses it. By now it’s been two years after Richie. The last one’s Stan. He can’t take losing all of us. He goes just like Rich, on his own accord.” She didn’t notice everyone crying with her, sobs replacing silence. “That’s a constant one. Sometimes there’s more time or other ways. Sometimes Stan goes first, but other than that the circumstances have not many variables. No one lasts another twenty-seven years.”

“What happens when Stan goes first?” Richie asks, his voice was hoarse. “Why does he go first.”

“I never have the chance to memorize what happens, but I remember the phrase ‘take myself out of the board’. It just sticks every time.”

“F...fuck!” Bill shouts, startling everyone. “Where is he?” 

Realization dawned on Mike’s face as well. “We have to find him now.” He exclaimed, quickly standing up. “He must be upstairs, right Rich? Stan’s upstairs.”

The comedian nodded and stood up, proceeding to lead his friends to Stanley’s room. It didn’t take much time before Eddie, Ben, and Bev were following them too, leaving the teenagers alone. The silence was not as intense as before. They were all too occupied with their thoughts.

“You shouldn’t have come Maya,” Emma said, guilt fused to her voice. “I shouldn’t have let you. I knew that something was going to happen and now we’re on the verge of fucking death! I promised to protect you since we were kids. What kind of friend am I for letting you follow me to our dooms?”

“I made that promise too, dumbass. You always forget about that.” Maya replied, pulling Emma close to her. “Besides, there’s no one I would rather follow to our dooms than you. I would follow you everywhere, no questions asked.” She gave in to her urges to wrap the brunette into a hug, pulling j¿her as close as she could. “You are my soulmate, Ems. I love you,” she muttered into her hair, not feeling the tears that fell on her shoulder.

“What the fuck is ‘It’?” Finn said, breaking the moment. 

“What do you mean bro?” Emma said, covering her face with her hands like she was rubbing her eyes due to being sleepy. 

“They kept saying that. Like referring to someone, y’ know? Beverly said that ‘It’ killed Mike in her visions.” he shuddered. “We should go look into that.”

“At this point, I don’t think we need to investigate. They’re going to tell us about it.” Emma replied. She then remembered something, that although it had happened mere hours ago, had buried itself deep down her memory. “You should tell them what happened when you showered Maya. I’m almost positive it has something to do with this so-called ‘It’ or whatever.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. You always are.”

Emma blushed furiously. “I wouldn’t say always-”

“Finn! Finn, where is your first aid kit?” Eddie yelled, rushing down the stairs. The alluded immediately reacted like he was programmed to. “What do we need?” he asked, making his way to his suitcase. 

“Bandages. And you, we need you also.” the man said, lifting the bag up and going upstairs. “You know all those courses that we have gone through? Well now they’re repaying the investment.” he chuckled, and Finn let himself crack a small smile before rushing to where he was needed. Nothing on his mind but the need to help whoever was in need. And boy was he really needed. 

“Everyone step aside! I need all the room I can get.” He exclaimed as he burst into the room his father had told him too. All five adults followed his instructions, and he found the man his parents had told him to affectionately call ‘uncle Stan’ on the bed, a towel around his body, and another one around his arm. Even though the towel was far from white, he could see red spots bursting through it. “Ok, Mr. Uris? Has my father cleaned your wound? Please nod if he has.” 

The man nodded, and Finn could see the pain in his face. “Great. Now, I’m going to disinfect my hands with antibacterial gel, and I’ll get on my way to help you out.” He was so calm as he spoke, he could feel everyone present slowly but surely relaxing. “I’m going to check now the gravity of the wound. If it has stopped bleeding, a bandage will do. If not, then we’re calling an ambulance.” He slowly unraveled the towel, and for his fortune, the wound wasn’t deep enough for him to need stitches or any immediate professional attention. He could treat right there. “I’m going to put this antibacterial ointment and then put on your bandage. I have some medicine for whatever pain you’re feeling that you can take once I’m done with this.”

And so five minutes later, Stan was laying in bed, surrounded by everyone as he took the pill Finn had given him. He stayed silent for a few moments after he swallowed it, and Richie thought about how this day had been full of noise, and yet full of silence as well. 

“**It is to blame**,” Stan said. “I was taking a quick shower when it started talking through the drain. Called me a pussy and a weak little jew, y’ know? It said that I was always the weakest one, that it would be better if I took myself off the equation.” he let out a signature dry chuckle. “The fucker was right. If you hadn’t gone to pick me up, I would have probably just not come. Then I would remember all of this shit and I would have really pulled myself out of the game.”

“I wouldn’t have come either if Eddie hadn’t drag me.” Richie exclaimed. “I was so fucking terrified, didn’t even know why.”

Stan rolled his eyes. “You have reasons to be scared Rich. You have kids. That’s enough reason to not want to risk your life. Patty and I have been trying for fucking years to no avail. I’m sure she resents me for it, even if she doesn’t show it. If I died, she could move on.”

“Fuck no Staniel! even dare to think like that about yourself. You’re Stan the man! You’re the guy that cursed in your fucking bar mitzvah speech! You survived that creepy painting that It showed itself as to you. Goddammit Stan, you might be the bravest one out of all of us.” Richie said. “You were always scared shitless, but you still went with us. You followed us into that death sentence, and that’s the bravest thing anyone of us** has ever done.**”

“Wow. That was the best speech I’ve ever heard you say, and I’ve heard a lot of  _ your _ speeches! I’m offended now.” Emma said, wiping a fake tear off her cheek. “I demand a speech for satisfaction, my good sir!” 

Richie and Maya chuckled. “Ye shall have it, my dear madam, but perhaps we should wait until the circumstances are a bit different.”

“God Richie. She’s just like you.” Stan groaned, gaining sounds of agreements. The man just smirked, walking up to wrap his daughter in a one-arm hug. “I know, right? She’s the best.” He then extended his other arm and pulled his son into the same position as Emma. “This kiddo is also the best. And if I had another arm, I would definitely drag that girl into this hug, but alas I can’t so it leaves me to only say that she’s also the best.”

“Who the fuck let you have kids Richie?” Bill said, teasingly.

“The state of New York did.” Eddie intervened. “And I’ll let you know he’s a great dad.” The kids nodded, and Richie had a smug look on his face. “Hell yeah, I am. Trashmouth raised two awesome kids.” 

Eddie shook his head with a smile plastered on his face. “Yeah, two kids that are still going to be grounded when we get home. Go to sleep now,” he said.

“I don’t trust our room,” Maya said. “There’s something in it. I saw it when I took a shower earlier. It started with whispers of horrible things that I really don’t want to repeat. Then something came out of the drain, like a tentacle or something. It wrapped  around my ankle, and it started to pull me in. I screamed and as soon as Emma opened the door, it retreated.”

“You’re staying with us then,” Eddie responded immediately. “We can bring over your mattresses, the room is big enough.” 

“I’ll help you out! Just guide me to where I’m supposed to!” Ben said. Richie told them what their room number was, and they left the room. 

“So, you’re t...together?” Bill asked, crossing his arms. Richie and Eddie nodded, giving a warm smile to each other. “How could you guys remember?”

“We didn’t” Eddie replied. “We re-met each other at one of his shows. His manager was my friend, and she forced me to go.”

“And after Eddie told me I sucked, I fell in love with him this spaghetti all over again!” Richie added, dramatically sighing. His husband gave him a light smack on the arm, and the comedian immediately pulled him into his embrace. 

“Well, Stan and I always said that Reddie was meant to be, didn’t we?” Bev said, gaining a nod from the man in response.

“What’s Reddie?”

“It’s the combination of your names to signal you as a couple. Y’know like Brangelina!” the woman replied. “It was too obvious that you loved each other that it became painful to watch. I’m glad you found each other and found a way to form your own family.”

_ “Dad! Finn is turning on his laptop and won’t lower the brightness!”  _ Emma shouted from their room.

_ “Well I told you I’ll go downstairs but you’re complaining that I ‘will make too much noise’ when I come back!”  _ Finn responded, mocking his sister's voice

_ “Well, you will! You have the grace and carefulness of a shitty elephant.” _

_ “And you snore louder than a fucking bear.” _

“Language!” Eddie exclaimed, rushing to lecture his children.

Richie laughed, genuinely. “I’m glad too Bev. I’m really glad.”


End file.
